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About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in jo... (More)

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in journalism. Though my first love is journalism, food is a close second. I am constantly on the lookout for new restaurants to try, building an ever-expanding "to eat" list. As a journalist, I'm always trolling news sources and social media websites with an eye for local food news, from restaurant openings and closings to emerging food trends. When I was a teenager growing up in Menlo Park, I always drove up to the city on weekends with the singular purpose of finding a better meal than I could at home. But in the past year or so, the Peninsula's food culture has been totally transformed, with many new restaurants opening and a continuous stream of San Francisco restaurants coming south to open Peninsula outposts. Don't navigate this food boom hungry and alone! Feed me your tips on new chefs and eats and together we'll share them with the broader community. (Hide)

Where to dine out on Thanksgiving

Uploaded: Nov 19, 2013

For those of you who don't enjoy cooking, prefer to eat out on Turkey Day or simply want to support restaurant staff working on the holiday, head to these local restaurants for a special holiday meal on Thursday, Nov. 28. This list is by no means exhaustive ? please comment if you know of any other Thanksgiving specials in the area.

Bistro Vida in Menlo Park is offering a three-course prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner for $39.50 per person. The regular dinner menu will also be offered. The restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
641 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park; 650-462-1686. www.distrovidamp.com

Il Fornaio in Palo Alto is offering a "four-course feast with an Italian twist" for Thanksgiving. An a la carte menu will also be available. Make reservations online. See the menu here. $39 for adults; $18 for children 12 and under.
520 Cowper St., Palo Alto; 650- 853-3888. www.ilfornaio.com

Left Bank and LB Steak in Menlo Park will be open on Thanksgiving Day from noon to 8 p.m. serving various holiday food items. Left Bank will be serving a $41.75 four-course holiday prix fixe menu and LB Steak, a limited a la carte menu plus two holiday prix fixe four-course menus, one with turkey as the entrée for $50.50 per person and the other with rib roast as the entrée for $58.75. See the LB Steak menu here and Left Bank's, here.
All prix fixe menu items will also be offered on an a la carte basis and select regular menu items will be served at the bar. There will not be happy hour service at either restaurant that day. There will be a children's menu available to those 12 years and under at both restaurants.
Left Bank, 635 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park; 650-473-6543. www.leftbank.com
LB Steak, 898 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park; 650-321-8980. www.lbsteak.com

MacArthur Park in Palo Alto will have a Thanksgiving buffet featuring a carving station, chilled seafood display, salad station, a range of "house specialties," traditional side dishes, house made desserts and cheese and fruit platters. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. $45 for adults; $24 for children 6-12 years; children under 5, free. View the menu here.
27 University Ave., Palo Alto; 650-321-9990. www.macarthurparkpaloalto.com

Scratch in Mountain View will have a three-course holiday menu, featuring a traditional turkey dinner as well as other "specialties."
401 Castro St., Mountain View; 650-237-3132. www.scratchmtnview.com

Scott's Seafood at Town & Country Village will serve a traditional three course Thanksgiving dinner. $32 for adults; $16 for children under 10.
855 El Camino Real #1, Palo Alto; 650-323-1555. www.scottsseafoodpa.com

Our tradition is to go for a hike then find a different Denny's each year. Last year's hike was Morgan Territory on the east side of Mt Diablo with dinner at Pleasanton Denny's. The year before was Milpitas Denny's after hiking Round Valley Regional Preserve - also in the East Bay. Denny's is affordable and open 24 hours. So once we had a late flight to Orlando, FL and at 11pm on Thanksgiving Day found 3 Denny's between the airport and hotel and we enjoyed our dinner late at night. Usually the service is excellent as very few go to Denny's on Thanksgiving Day.

Posted by No Turkey here,
a resident of Greenmeadow,
on Nov 21, 2013 at 2:48 am

So where are the people who can not afford pricy meals to eat out going for Thanksgiving? Are the local soup kitchens open???? Think you should not just cater to the ones who can afford the pricy prices... people with a few children can not hardly afford to shell out big money for a day out on Thanksgiving...

Also, a blogger such as Elena doesn't need to be all-inclusive. She can target her blog to a specific demographic (e.g., privileged white people below fifty). As a matter of fact, this is likely a better strategy as it is difficult to be an expert on all levels of dining.

If you want suggestions on where to find cheap family eats on Thanksgiving, find a blog that focuses on bargain bites the other 364 days of the year. It's not Elena's responsibility to change her target readership audience for the meal on one particular day.

Posted by Elena Kadvany,
a resident of another community,
on Nov 21, 2013 at 8:34 amElena Kadvany is a registered user.

No turkey here, Turkey For Brains: I appreciate the comments. I tried to include some less expensive options (you\'ll notice, one is actually a free Thanksgiving dinner - at Ristorante Don Giovanni in Mountain View) and had your very thoughts myself before posting. I love Angela Hey\'s post about her family\'s tradition of going to Denny\'s, and am glad others can read that and perhaps do the same.

I typed up a quick list of local food pantries, etc. but there were too many web links to include in a comment - please see a new blog post.

Posted by Dan,
a resident of Old Palo Alto,
on Nov 27, 2014 at 5:15 pm

Hi, Im not exactly poor.. I drive a tesla and live in palo alto, but even for me, $40.00 for a dinner per person does seem steep. I was planning on inviting some friends who are struggling entreprenuers and I know $40.00 is not exactly affordable. I agree with possibly having one or two options are that not as pricy.

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